Cory Monteith Completes Rehab But He Has an Uphill Battle From Here

'Glee' star Cory Monteith is free again! 28 days of rehab completed. Check! Back into the arms of ever-supportive girlfriend Lea Michele. Check! Clean and sober. Check! (Of course, that's just a hope and assumption on my part.) Now it's smooth sailing and happy days forever, right? Well, not really. As any sober person can tell you, the days following rehab or the first month in a 12-step program are grueling for an addict. However, they're nothing compared to the 30 days that follow.

Will Cory Monteith make it? Does he have what it takes to stay clean and sober this time?

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Only Cory Monteith knows the answer to that question, but quite frankly, most alcoholics/addicts can't even begin to answer that question about themselves. I've been sober for 12 years (that's right, not even so much as a wine spritzer in 12 long years!!!) and I'm still a slave to my disease. You have to remain vigilant for, well, for pretty much ever or it'll get you. The disease may seem like it's gone away, but it's just lying dormant under the surface, and it wants to live.

Monteith has been open about his past history with drugs and alcohol. He entered rehab at age 19 and managed to turn his life around long enough to build an acting career and land the Glee gig at age 27. Not bad for an alky/drug addict, huh? Of course, last month we found out that some remnants of the disease still lingered when Monteith checked himself into rehab for "substance abuse." We don't know if he was drinking or using again or had formed some kind of dependence on prescription drugs or what? But we do know he felt the need to be vigilant again. Whatever he was doing wasn't working.

That's the good news. He knew enough to get help AND he got help. Now if he can push through this first 30 days in the real world without picking up a drink or popping a pill, he'll be that much better off. Super proud of him. And from one alky to another, I'm sending my best for the long, wild ride ahead.

And coming home to this kind of love and support definitely doesn't hurt: